What a rest is
A rest tells you to stay silent for an exact amount of time. The beat keeps going, the music keeps moving, but you don't play. A miscounted rest pushes everything after it early or late.
Every note value has a matching rest with the same length. If you know the note values (see rhythm and time signatures), you already know the rests.
Table of rests and values
Values with the quarter note as 1 beat (2/4, 3/4 and 4/4):
| Rest | Name | Lasts | How to recognize it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole rest | 4 beats | block hanging below the 4th line | |
| Half rest | 2 beats | block sitting on the 3rd line | |
| 𝄽 | Quarter rest | 1 beat | zigzag stroke, like lightning |
| 𝄾 | Eighth rest | ½ beat | looks like a 7 with one blob |
| 𝄿 | Sixteenth rest | ¼ beat | the same 7 with two blobs |
Each rest lasts half as long as the one before, just like notes.
Whole or half rest? The trick
- The whole rest is worth more, it's “heavier”, so it hangs below the line.
- The half rest is worth less, it's “light”, so it sits on top of the line, like a hat.
One exception: a whole rest alone in a measure means the whole measure is silent, in any time signature, even 3/4 or 6/8.
Dotted rests and multi-measure rests
A dot works on a rest just like on a note: it adds half the value. A dotted half rest lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats.
When an instrument is silent for many measures, the score uses a multi-measure rest: a thick horizontal bar with a number above. “8” means 8 full measures of silence.
A fermata 𝄐 over a rest makes the silence longer than written, as the player or conductor chooses.
How to count rests
- Count out loud during the silence too: “1, 2, 3, 4”.
- Tap the beat with your foot. The rest ends on the foot, not “when it feels right”.
- Whisper the rest beats to feel the difference between sound and silence.
- Use a slow metronome, around 60 BPM, until the entry after the rest always lands in place.
Now put the theory into your fingers
In Dedilhado Vivo you learn flute, guitar, violin or piano by seeing each finger on the screen, and the app listens to you play through the microphone.
Practice theory in the free appMaking the rest on your instrument
- Guitar: rest your right palm on the strings or release the left-hand fingers so the sound stops.
- Piano: lift the finger and, if you are using the pedal, lift it too.
- Flute: stop the air with the tongue (as in saying “t”) and use the rest to breathe.
- Violin: stop the bow on the string so the note ends cleanly.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rests in music?
The main ones are the whole rest (4 beats), half rest (2), quarter rest (1), eighth rest (½) and sixteenth rest (¼), with the quarter note as 1 beat.
How do you tell a whole rest from a half rest?
The whole rest hangs below the 4th line. The half rest sits on top of the 3rd line, like a hat.
How long is a whole rest in 3/4?
Alone in a measure it means a full measure of silence, so 3 beats in 3/4.
Can a rest be dotted?
Yes. The dot adds half the value: a dotted half rest lasts 3 beats.